Simple to Sophisticated Recipes

Harvested by hand from the waters off Essex, England, Maldon sea salt crystals have a great crunch and a remarkably subtle, briny flavor. Uncomplicated foods, such as baked potatoes show it off to its best advantage.

This super simple recipe is the perfect base for any salad.

This ultrasimple soup requires little more than a couple of cans of black beans, some onion and a bit of cumin. A topping of fried tortillas (or store-bought chips) adds crunch.

This recipe, adapted from New York City pastry chef Gina DePalma, is truly greater than the sum of its parts. Who knew that basic dried pasta, simply boiled in red wine, could develop such complex flavor?

To make these individual soufflés sturdy, Maria Helm Sinskey uses choux pastry (the dough for gougères and profiteroles) mixed with airy meringue and ricotta. While the inside is nicely custardy, the edges and sides are deliciously crisp. The soufflés, which have a lovely, not-too-sweet lemon flavor, can be served hot, warm, or cool, when they become like mini citrus cakes.

Alfred’s owner-chef, William Abitbol, substitutes nutty celery root for potato in his riff on a classic creamy gratin. He serves it with his tenderloin steaks topped with a rich pan sauce.

Each component can be used in a variety of sweet and savory ways: The caramel, for instance, is great drizzled over pecorino cheese or vanilla ice cream.

For the regal—and expensive—pork crown roast, F&W Test Kitchen Associate Melissa Rubel Jacobson replaced the run-of-the-mill garlic-herb coating with a smoky harissa version. "I love the way it turns from a paste to a crispy crust," she says

This luxe surf and turf features escolar, a deliciously fatty fish, and extravagantly marbled Kobe or wagyu beef.

Sea bass turns ultratender and satiny baked at a very low temperature of 160 degrees. Michel Bras serves the on a frothy sauce inspired by aigo bulido, Aubrac patois for a simple garlic broth Michel Bras's mother used to make for him when he was sick.